National Football League

Pre-kickoff Power Rankings

Published Sep. 9, 2010 1:19 a.m. ET

foxsports

Ahh, it’s that time of the year. It’s time for those all-important NFL Power Rankings.

I know what you’re saying: “Why do we need to see them?”

It’s simple — because you crave rankings. You breathe them. You must know who we think are the top teams in the NFL, and yes, which teams are at the bottom.

Oh, and please keep the hate mail to a minimum. I’ve already had my share of Publisher’s Clearing House spam for the year.

1. New Orleans Saints – Why can’t they repeat? The only real weakness they have is at linebacker, but even so, they aren’t that bad off there. Is there really a defense out there that can stop Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints passing game? Until there is, New Orleans has to be at No. 1.

2. Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning has as many good passing options now as he’s ever had since he was drafted in 1998. Even if Bob Sanders goes through his usual injury issues, the Colts have perhaps the best backup safety in the NFL in Melvin Bullitt. This team looks to be the class of the AFC once again.

3. Cincinnati Bengals – Why isn’t everyone talking about this team? Sure, they’ll sign some questionable players from time to time, but when you examine Cincinnati’s roster, you’ll find they don’t have many weaknesses. And defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is among the best at getting the most out of his players.

4. New York Jets – Once the Jets get starting OLB Calvin Pace back from his foot injury, their defense should be the best in the NFL. The ground and pound rushing attack on offense is great, but can the Jets score when they really have to? The reason they couldn’t close out the Colts in the playoffs was because they just couldn’t score enough in the second half of that game to keep pace.

5. Dallas Cowboys – Sure, the preseason generally means nothing, but if bad vibes mean anything, then Dallas could be falling off a bit. Still, this team is loaded with too much talent from both sides of the ball not to be one of the NFL’s top 10 teams this season.

6. Green Bay Packers – Green Bay has perhaps one of the top three passing offenses in the NFL. And Aaron Rodgers might be classified already as an elite quarterback in just his third season as a starter. The only thing that could prevent them from making it to the Super Bowl is what looks to be a shaky secondary.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers – If the fill-in quarterbacks for starter Ben Roethlisberger can limit their mistakes in his absence, then being 2-2 when the big fella gets back from his four-game suspension is attainable. Yes, don’t be surprised if more than one guy (Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, or Byron Leftwich) gets a start over those four games.

8. Minnesota Vikings – There’s no question that Minnesota will miss starting WR Sidney Rice while he recovers from hip surgery. You really can question their depth at receiver. But what you can’t question is Brett Favre’s ability to make up for shortcomings around him. The defense should be good enough to keep the games within reach.

9. San Diego Chargers – I’m all for giving WR Malcom Floyd a chance to show what he can do, but is he really ready to replace Vincent Jackson in the starting lineup? How will Philip Rivers hold up behind center without LT Marcus McNeill? The answers to these questions probably will keep them from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

10. Baltimore Ravens – You have to like what they’ve done to help QB Joe Flacco over the past five months or so. The only thing that Baltimore lacks on offense is a true deep threat at receiver. It’s a big concern, however, that the secondary will be without starting FS Ed Reed for at least six weeks. Oh, don’t forget about the loss of starting CB Domonique Foxworth for the season.

11. Philadelphia Eagles – You have to like all of the talent they have at the skill positions on offense, but the offensive line has to be a major question mark as we enter the regular season. The defense looks to be improved, especially in the pass-rushing department.

12. New England Patriots – Can anyone find a pass rusher for this team? Is Tully Banta-Cain the answer to their pass-rushing woes? It’s never a good thing to have a weak pass rush when you have a very young secondary. The good news is Tom Brady looks like he’s back to his pre-injury form.

13. New York Giants – You have to like New York’s offense. It’s hard to find many weaknesses. Steve Smith has to be one of the NFL’s most underrated receivers. The defense still has big issues at linebacker which probably won’t be resolved until next season.

14. Houston Texans – There are few offenses that I like watching more than Houston’s. And with Arian Foster at running back, they can finally have better balance on that side of the ball. The one thing that they must find is a second quality pass rusher to go along with Mario Williams.

15. Atlanta Falcons – Can Matt Ryan bounce back from a mediocre season? What Atlanta needs is to get veteran RB Michael Turner the ball as much as possible. The offense starts and ends with him. The pass rush needs to be more consistent, however, if this team really wants to get back to the playoffs.

16. Tennessee Titans – This is yet another team that will rely on its ground attack to stay in games. Vince Young, for the first time in his career, looks like he’s starting to show some real glimpses of hope. What probably will prevent this team from making the playoffs is the lack of quality pass rushers.

17. San Francisco 49ers – They’re the best of a very weak NFC West. The one thing you know that they will be able to do is run the ball consistently well. They have an opportunistic defense, but overall, this is just an average football team.

18. Miami Dolphins – Until Miami finds a solid second passing option to go with WR Brandon Marshall, their offense will be easy to defend. I struggle to see how they will find a consistent pass rush on defense from week to week.

19. Arizona Cardinals – Undrafted free-agent Max Hall is one injury away from being this team’s starting quarterback. And in all honesty, can anyone feel good about Derek Anderson being the starter for 16 games? Yikes.

20. Chicago Bears – Can Mike Martz save the offense and save the jobs of Chicago’s coaching staff? Jay Cutler looked like a zombie during the important third preseason game. For this team to have any chance at making the playoffs, Cutler has to get himself together.

21. Washington Redskins – This team is a mess, but generally just on the offensive side of the ball. How bad is it when Joey Galloway is a starting receiver at 38 years old? At least they addressed the offensive line problems. It’s a shame that the Albert Haynesworth fiasco isn’t likely to end until he’s traded or released next year.

22. Oakland Raiders – If Jason Campbell can find give the team some consistency at the quarterback position this season, the Raiders may actually approach the eight-game winning mark. Seriously, you have no idea how bad it’s been for this team at quarterback. Word is they were trying to coax Vince Evans back for another run.

23. Denver Broncos – While it was a good move to extend the contract of starting QB Kyle Orton, you would be hard-pressed to find many good stories from this offense. And on defense, who will rush the passer? The loss of starting OLB Elvis Dumervil has to be devastating.

24. Detroit Lions – Say what you want, but Detroit is going to have a very good offense this season. Perhaps the NFL’s most improved passing game. The defense? Oh, well. There’s always next year for Detroit.

25. Carolina Panthers – The quarterback situation is a little bit alarming when you consider how poorly Matt Moore performed in the preseason. The hope is that he can regain the solid form he displayed at the end of last season.

26. Cleveland Browns – If veteran QB Jake Delhomme can carry over his outstanding play from the preseason, this team could win 6-7 games. But realistically, there just isn’t enough talent on either side of the ball for Cleveland to make serious improvement this season.

27. Kansas City Chiefs – GM Scott Pioli did a nice job of addressing some of the needs on offense in the offseason, but there’s still the issue of getting better play out of QB Matt Cassel. He just doesn’t look to be a very comfortable passer. The defense looks like it will struggle once again in the pass-rushing department.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars – The one thing you know that they will be able to do is run the football pretty well. But passing it remains as the big issue on offense. Mike Sims-Walker has developed into a nice receiver, but can Mike Thomas really be a quality starting receiver at less than 5-8? He’s a great story, but he’s better off as a slot receiver. Jacksonville will probably struggle to post more than 20 sacks this season on defense.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – I like what the Tampa Bay did early in this year’s draft to address their issues on the front four of their defense. The receiver position still remains as a big issue, but at least they have an exciting rookie in Mike Williams.

30. Buffalo Bills – Until this team finds some stability at quarterback position, you can forget about the playoffs. And who will rush the passer on defense? The bottom line is Buffalo has way too many issues on both sides of the ball that will prevent them from being consistently competitive.

31. Seattle Seahawks – Can anyone find a reason to think this team will be competitive? I mean, really. I’m all for new head coaches changing personnel over, but this is getting ridiculous. Do they still have the same mascot? Ok, thanks for letting me vent.

32. St. Louis Rams – I’m all for starting rookie QB Sam Bradford, but this team is a long way from being seriously competitive. I’m still trying to figure out how St. Louis will stop opposing offenses. It’s hard to find more than a few solid starters on defense.